More Than a Dog
by Fanwoman
Summary: Maia's contemplations about family become a catalyst for change. Written before "Blink" for the 4400 ficathon recipient Cypria. DianaMarco
1. Chapter 1

SPOILERS: through Graduation Day

NOTES: "A Diana, Marco, Maia family fic. Diana and Marco are afraid to really get a serious relationship started because of Maia, but Maia really wants a normal family with a Daddy after being teased for not having one around Father's Day. Romance/humor, No Angst." This was one of my 4400 ficathon choices. As a big DM fan, I thought it would be a cakewalk, but it's actually been pretty difficult because of my strong compulsion to try to remain as true to the show as possible. Father's Day in 2005 would have coincided roughly with the episode Rebirth, not exactly a period of noticeable Diana/Marco closeness. Also, at that time, as well as Father's Day 2004, Maia had little to no contact with other kids, and the kids she has met at The Center in season three are probably all in similar boats when it comes to families. So I decided to reinterpret that element of the story and focus on the meat--Maia wanting a father and being aware of the unfulfilled relationship between Diana and Marco. I hope Cypria doesn't mind my tweaking of her request and that all of you enjoy the results. Thank you for the beta, PurpleYin!

DISCLAIMER: _The 4400_ and all things associated with it belong to other people.

* * *

MORE THAN A DOG

Part 1

I'm not the only one. Of all the things I've learned since Mommy let me choose to go to school at The Center, I think that is the most important.

When we were first returned and put in Quarantine, there weren't many kids who spoke English in my wing. Also, most people didn't know for sure what was going on. They were too busy worrying about why we were all locked up together and didn't really know how their lives outside of Quarantine had changed. In some ways, I think it's good we were in there for a long time. Otherwise, they might not have been able to contact the family members of so many people. Of course, for me, there was no one to contact, but that was all right. Although it was lonely at first, when everyone else left, I knew I would have a new Mommy, and that gave me comfort.

It was really nice when Mommy first took me home. Mrs. Griffin had gone shopping with me and bought me some clothes, but Mommy and I got to shop for furniture and everything else. It was like starting from scratch. I even got to pick the wall paint. All that color was wonderful after so long in Quarantine. Everything was new, but it was pretty close to normal. Mommy and I would have breakfast together. Then she'd drop me off at school. In the afternoon, she'd pick me up, and we'd go home and have dinner. So, for a little while, before those people started trying to blow up 4400s, I went to a regular school. It was hard at first, because I was new and didn't know the sorts of things the other kids knew. My class had sixteen students. Three of us lived with just our Moms, and one lived with just her Dad. One girl in class, Maria, would tease us about it. The teacher tried to get her to stop, but she'd always find a way to do it when the teacher wasn't looking.

The other kids didn't remember a time when they had both a Mommy and a Daddy. One had never had a Daddy at all. But I remember mine. Even though I was happy to have a new Mommy, it hurt to be teased for not having a Daddy when I'd had one just a few months earlier. None of the other single-parent kids knew what it was like to lose a parent to age, to see their grave. When the time came for me to leave that school, Mommy was mad, but I didn't mind. Although getting taught from home was dull at times, I'd known I wouldn't have to worry about fitting in or being teased by Maria again.

The day I met Carrie was like a present because I'd known I'd meet someone special but hadn't known who it would be or what would make them special. She's the one who introduced me to all the things that kids think are cool these days, and she has never acted like I was stupid for not knowing. Even though her birthday slumber party wasn't much fun for me, we still do things together. We're both happy to have someone our age to play with. She has a Mommy and a Daddy, but her Dad is almost never there. So she has never though it strange that I have no Daddy. Actually, she thinks it's pretty neat and tells me about how grumpy her Dad usually is and some of the things she has to do because of him that she thinks are lame, like fishing and camping and soccer. I've never gone fishing or camping or played soccer, so I don't know if she's right about them being lame. I think they'd be fun, but I'll never say that to her. Spending time with Carrie and her Mom, I don't much think about having a Dad.

When Aunt April came, I'd had no visions about her at all, so she had been a complete surprise. It was ten times better than meeting Carrie because April is family. Plus, she was more like a big sister than an aunt. She took me to all sorts of places and introduced me to lots of new foods and people and experiences. In the beginning, I was having the best time since my return. I love my Mom, but she can be really strict, sometimes. Being with a grownup who wasn't strict at all was wonderful. But there were times I thought following the rules would have been a better choice. As much as I liked all the stuff I ate that one day, throwing up later wasn't any fun. Then there was the way she made Mommy act funny, kind of like she was when I first asked Mommy to take me home, only worse. While nothing compares to the day when April lost the bet and Mommy's ring, there was another really bad day before that. It was Father's Day.

Just as I'd been surprised to find out I have an Aunt, I was surprised to find out I have a Grandfather. April wanted to visit him on Father's Day, but Mommy didn't. They said some really mean things to each other, but there was no convincing Mommy to go. She said she wasn't going to put me through the disappointment of having him as a relative and that he didn't deserve to get to know me. I'd never seen Mommy so mad, it makes me wonder what he did to make her that way. April went by herself and didn't come home that night. Maybe if Maria's Dad was like Mommy's, she wouldn't tease other people about not having one.

Now that I'm going to school at The Center, I'm around other kids like me. As nice as Carrie is, she just can't understand what it's like. Losing a child tends to tear people apart. Even the ones who were only gone a few years have had big changes to their families. Most of them are like Todd, whose parents got divorced, but there are some like me, kids who lost their parents. Beth lives with her niece's family and is younger than her grandniece. She says they try, but even after two years, she sometimes feels like a guest. When she's old enough, she wants to move to The Center. Tyler lives with his sister because his parents are in a retirement home. His Dad has problems with his memory and gets confused and upset when he sees Tyler, so he doesn't like visiting them. Amy's pretty much the only one who has the same parents as when she left. Unlike Maria, Amy never teases any of us about it. She's actually a little bit guilty that she's been luckier than the rest of us, but I tell her she should be happy. Even so, visiting her house makes me wonder what it might be like to have a Daddy again.

Although learning I'm not the only one who has lost parents is probably the most important thing going to school at The Center has taught me, controlling my visions is the most useful. Now, I don't know everything that's going to happen. I can even shut off my visions altogether. But I still have all the visions I wrote down from before. There were so many from that time that I don't remember some of them, but I can't forget there were a lot about Marco. He's important, though not as much as Tom and Isabelle and Shawn and Mommy.

I don't much like boys, but I like Marco. He's nice and is always happy to play games with me. He's helped me with a few school projects and never gets upset if I make a mistake or do something dumb. He listens and talks to me like a grown up, even more than Mommy does. And he's funny, or he tries to be, at least. I know he's the only one besides me who can really make Mommy smile. He visits us a lot, and he's always there to help Mommy when things get tough. Even when things aren't tough, he helps out, like with the dishes and cooking and even groceries, sometimes.

Seeing the way Marco and Mommy are together reminds me of how Amy's Mom and Dad are, except Marco almost never touches Mommy. Sometimes, Mommy will touch him. Then his cheeks turn pink, and he'll give her his special smile, the one I've only seen him give to her. At times like those, I try to leave quietly because I can feel something between them that I can't give Mommy, something that needs privacy. It doesn't happen often, and I've accidentally interrupted them a couple of times. I hate when that happens because it means I've spoiled a special moment. And they always seem awkward, stepping away from each other with Mommy stumbling over her words. Amy's Mom and Dad aren't embarrassed if we walk in on them hugging or something, so it's made me wonder if Mommy and Marco aren't supposed to. When I talk to other kids about it, they say it's normal, that Mommy and Marco just aren't comfortable dating each other, yet. I'm not completely sure they are dating, since they almost never go anywhere without me, but the others say they must be. So then why they aren't comfortable?

Billy says my Mom has issues and makes jokes about it. Amy calls him a big jerk, and Tyler drains all the energy from Billy's DS when he picks on me. But what if Billy's right? Between Mommy, Marco and school, I've learned about logic and deductive reasoning. In trying to use them for this problem, I've narrowed down the possibilities to four potential reasons: 1. Mommy isn't comfortable with Marco 2. Marco isn't comfortable with Mommy 3. Both of them aren't comfortable with each other 4. It's something else entirely.

In the two years I've known him, I've never really seen Marco uncomfortable about anything, not even the time I got stomach flu when he was babysitting and he held back my hair while I threw up in the toilet. He was so calm and nice about it that I didn't feel embarrassed. He's never really seemed bothered by any of the times I've interrupted him with Mommy, and he seems to be really good at reading her feelings and responding to them. I think that's why he doesn't touch her, not because he doesn't want to. I'm thinking it's not 2 or 3.

Mommy is uncomfortable about a lot of things, so maybe it is 1. But of all the people I've seen her interact with, the only one she's more at ease with than Marco is me. She tells him things she doesn't tell anyone else, and she seems comfortable with him when I'm not around. I know this because I've caught them kissing without them knowing I'm there. And it's not just kissing. She's relaxed with him in a way she doesn't show when she knows I can see her. Sometimes, when we're watching a movie and I'm on the floor while they're on the couch, I can see their reflection when there's a dark scene. They'll be leaning against each other, holding hands with happy smiles. At times like those, she seems perfectly comfortable with Marco, so I'm doubtful about 1.

This makes me think that it's 4 and that it's me that's the problem. I mean that it's because I'm around that Mommy can never be fully comfortable with Marco. I think this is the likeliest reason because of something Julia told me one day. She's one of the older girls. It made me feel kind of grownup when she pulled me aside, saying she'd heard about my questions. She told me about her Mom, who had gotten a divorce a year before we were returned. She said her Mom had gone on a few dates but didn't feel right dating someone when she had a daughter to take care of. After five years without Julia, her Mom seemed to think they should spend all of their free time together. Julia wants more time to herself and feels like she's coming between her Mom and the possibility of ever finding a Dad. Julia seemed sad about it and said she's trying to get her Mom to go back to counseling. Then she asked me how I felt about Marco and if I would want him as a Dad. While I like him, I'd always thought of Marco as Marco, not as a potential Dad. When I told Julia this, she said I should think about it really hard, and if I decide I'd like Marco as a Dad, I should talk to my Mom about it.

I've been thinking about it, and I can't decide if I'd want Marco as my Dad. It could be great, but a part of me doesn't want to share Mommy any more than I already do. I know that's selfish, but I can't help it.

I've decided what matters the most is Mommy's happiness. He helps us and cares about us, but I don't know if Marco makes Mommy happy. I'm going to ask her about it, but in the meantime, I have another plan to help me figure this out. Amy said she overheard one of the grownups talking about a 4400 who can smell if two people are meant to be together. I think that would be a great way of figuring out if Mommy and Marco should get married. Tyler and Michelle, who's really good with getting computers to do what she wants, said they'll help me find his name and address somehow. If I can send him something of Marco's and something of Mommy's, maybe he can tell me if they should be together.

I hope this works.


	2. Chapter 2

SPOILERS: through Graduation Day

NOTES: Thank you for all the reviews! Sorry for the delay; right now, my schedule is at the mercy of my house guests. This one has a change of POV as Maia puts her scheme into action. Diana doesn't use Ms and Ds for mommy and daddy, etc. Cypria had a preference for a bit of humor, so I hope these next two satisfy that preference. Thank you for the beta, PurpleYin!

DISCLAIMER: _The 4400_ and all things associated with it belong to other people.

* * *

MORE THAN A DOG

Part 2

"Mom, have you ever thought about getting married?"

I choke on my glass of wine and have to take another swallow to clear my throat before I can reply. "What?"

"Have you ever thought about getting married?" Across the table, Maia blinks her big brown eyes at me. There's no hint of guile in them, but she's been acting a bit strangely, lately--talking on the phone a lot but going silent when I walk in on her and being generally secretive. Then there's that vest of Marco's she absconded with, claiming she put it in her hamper by accident, but she doesn't own anything that remotely resembles a burgundy sweater.

"Where did this come from all of a sudden?" I want to laugh, but I can't seem to manage it. A weird kind of anxiety curls in my gut.

Tilting her head, she gives me a look of long-suffering patience, the kind ten-year-olds seem to reserve for dealing with clueless parents. "You're a single-mom. It's a reasonable question."

"Perhaps." Leaning forward, I put my chin in my hand and squint at her, suspicious. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm trying to figure something out."

"And what might that be?"

"Why you're always so embarrassed when I walk in on you hugging or kissing Marco."

Pulling back, I can feel the heat rise in my cheeks. So she's seen us kissing?

"I think," she continues, as though working her way through a theory, "it's because you're uncomfortable about being with him like that in front of me."

"I..." What to say? "I hadn't really thought about it." I'd never considered myself particularly prudish, but...

"That's what I thought." Her obvious disappointment makes me frown.

"Even so, what does it have to do with marriage?" It comes out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

Setting her napkin beside her plate, she draws a deep breath. "You and Marco behave a lot like Amy's parents and my first parents, except that you seem to have a thing about touching him in front of me. Julia says-"

"Who's Julia?" Marco and I act like a married couple?

"One of the older girls at school." She gives me a disgruntled look for the interruption. "Julia's parents got divorced while she was away, and she says her mom's the same way."

"The same way?" She's been talking to kids at school about how I behave with Marco? It's difficult not to feel mortified.

Maia nods. "Julia thinks that because her mom was so hurt by the divorce, she's using Julia as an excuse not to become involved with a man. You've never been divorced, but you also seem to be funny about getting too close to Marco. I don't know if you were hurt like Julia's mom, but I don't want you to use me as a reason to not become involved with Marco."

Does she know what she's saying? "Excuse me?" There's a slightly strangled quality to my voice.

"You like Marco, don't you?"

"Of course I like him." The speed of my response surprises even me; its defensive tone lingers in my ears. Why do I feel defensive about it?

"So why don't you-"

"This isn't something I want to discuss with you." I say it as calmly as I can, but there's no softening the meaning of the words.

Her face grows sad. "Why not?"

"It's..." Good question. "It's not the sort of thing adults discuss with children." How to explain I sometimes feel like I'm robbing the cradle?

"Why not?" she insists. "How else am I supposed to figure out what's going on if you won't talk to me about it?"

A change of tactics is in order. "Did you have a vision?"

"No." She looks away as though contemplating something else, but there's no distracting her. "Are you afraid Marco would hurt you?"

"Of course not."

"Then it must be because you don't like being with him in front of me, but if you were married-"

Married! "He hasn't asked me." Again, I try to laugh but can't.

"Would you marry him if he did?" She sounds completely sincere, even slightly hopeful.

"I..." The prospect leaves me thrilled and terrified at the same time, just like when Maia first asked to come home with me. It's been a subject I've been trying to avoid thinking about; my life is complicated enough as it is without adding a spouse to the mix. I'm comfortable with the way things are now. The combination of my disastrous history with men and having endured years of my mother's unsubtle suggestions that I'm old maid material have made me quite content to maintain my holding pattern with Marco. But wouldn't it be nice to come home to his warm smile and loving arms every night? "Yeah, I think so." My heart aches with the confession, reluctant to expose itself to such a risk, no matter how tempting the potential rewards. Then it fills with a sense of serenity. And just like that, I realize it's exactly what I want.

"Have you talked about it?"

"No."

"Then how is he supposed to know?" Her voice has degraded to an almost-whine, as though she's pleading with a simpleton.

"It's complicated." Again, I try to change the direction. "For example, I don't know how you'd feel about it."

She squirms a bit and looks down at her fidgeting fingers. "I like Marco a lot. I also like it being just the two of us a lot. But I'm pretty sure I'd like to have a dad, again, though I wouldn't want you to get married for me." Shaking her head, she stills her hands. "What I want most is for you to be happy. I want him to be happy, too. And I want you to feel like it's okay to hug him in front of me." Lifting her eyes, she pins me with a serious gaze. "I really, really don't want to be the reason you're alone."

Like I said--complicated. But maybe not as much as I'd thought. "I'm not alone, Maia." Reaching across the table, I take her hand. "I have you."

With a frustrated huff she pulls back and sternly folds her arms across her chest. Did she pick that up from me? "I mean a mommy without a daddy alone, not a mommy without a child alone."

I manage to smile. "And I don't know how _he_ feels about it."

At this, Maia rolls her eyes with a dramatic sigh. Apparently, she thinks it's a foregone conclusion. I suppose she's right.

"So you'll ask him?" she insists.

"I'll ask him."

Her face breaks into one of her sunny smiles, and she hops off her chair to give me a hug. I can't help but laugh, a satisfying relief banishing my earlier anxiety.

"You really want a dad?"

Nodding into my neck she hugs me tighter. "More than I want a dog."


	3. Chapter 3

SPOILERS: through Graduation Day

NOTES: And, to conclude our romantic little tale, Marco's POV. Despite the complete lack of evidence that such a person exists on the show, it has never made sense to me that a building like Diana's wouldn't have a doorman. So, in other stories, I have established Alberto as one of the security people there. Of course, one man can't be there all day, every day, so I've made up a second guy, Ed. Fortunately, I wrote this before seeing Blink; I don't think I could write something this cheerful now. Thank you for the beta, PurpleYin! Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: _The 4400_ and all things associated with it belong to other people.

* * *

MORE THAN A DOG

Part 3

Suddenly, the elevator jerks to a halt, and the lights go out.

"Uh..."

"What the hell," Diana mutters under her breath. I can hear her setting down her bags and running blind fingers along the panel by the elevator door.

"Hang on." Putting down my own bags, I fish out the microlight I keep in one of my pockets. "Here." Turning it on, I hand it to her.

"Thanks." Her gaze lingers on my eyes. She's been doing that a lot this week, and I can't help but wonder why.

Turning back to the door, she pops open the panel to the emergency phone and picks it up. After clicking the receiver switch several times, she puts the handset back in its cradle with a huff. "It's not working."

Digging out my cell, I find it's not getting any signal. "No luck, here. You?"

She hands me the flashlight and pulls out her own phone. With another huff, she stuffs it back in her pocket.

"It's probably just the storm," I suggest, even as the possibility of a Nova Group attack crosses my mind. If it is them, there's nothing we can do, anyway. We'd been shopping for a surprise birthday party for one of Maia's new school friends; it's not as though Diana would have brought her gun along. Besides, thanks to Maia's diaries, I know how I'm going to die, and being stuck in an elevator with Diana isn't a part of that scenario.

Fortunately, I'd insisted on buying two bags of ice. "Let's get all the cold stuff together. No point in letting the ice cream melt while we wait."

I balance the flashlight on a corner of the elevator's railing, so the light will reflect off the ceiling, then join in rearranging our purchases. We put all the perishables into two bags, with the ice on top. Knowing it's probably going to get warm fairly soon, what with the elevator's fan not working, I take off my jacket and vest, roll up my shirt sleeves and settle myself on the floor. Diana, however, chooses to pace. Is she worried it's not an accident?

"I'm sure Maia will be fine. Once she realizes we're late and she can't get a hold of us, she'll figure things out. And it's not as though the other kids will get there ahead of us."

Pausing, she gives me a look that's difficult to read in the poor light, though its pensiveness is plain. "Ed has the names of the people who are coming, and they could use the stairs."

True, but would the doorman let them do that during the middle of a power outage? "Either way, there's nothing we can do about it."

"We could try opening the doors." She stops to contemplate them. "We might be close enough to the second or third floor..."

"Is it worth the risk of climbing out of an elevator that's having problems just to have the party ready on time?" She has never mentioned being claustrophobic. Why is she so anxious?

"I suppose not."

Patting the floor to my right, I suggest, "Maybe you could think of it as a mini vacation with me." It's not as though we get much time alone together.

When she turns my way, I'm surprised to find she's wearing one of her rare, warm, thoughtful smiles. More than the occasional moments of passion we share, it's that smile that keeps me hopeful our relationship isn't just a convenient, indulgent distraction for her.

Sitting next to me, she leans against my arm, her discrete way of letting me know she'd like it around her shoulders. It's a fairly dominant, comfort-giving position for me, one she has allowed only a handful of times. Gladly, I accommodate her and enjoy the feeling of her pressing against my side. But even as I greedily rest my cheek against her head, I wonder why she needs comfort. She hasn't mentioned anything lately. Surely this party isn't stressing her out. Could something have happened to her father?

"Marco." It's both a statement and a question; the tone is speculative. "Have you ever thought about being a parent?"

Were I not sitting down, the question would probably have knocked me on my ass. She can't be pregnant; we've only-

"Marco?" As she places a hand on my chest, I become aware of my heart hammering against my ribs. Pulling back, she scans my face, her gaze growing worried.

"Yes." I don't think that look is an invitation. "Is this about Maia?" The sensible conclusion helps my heart slow down a bit. She must be having another parental crisis. Perhaps that's why she agreed to host this party.

"Yes." Straightening, she slips free of my arm to better face me. "No." Her head tilts and brow furrows a bit, a strained smile tugging at her lips. "Sort of."

Taking a deep breath, I reach for one of her hands, to reassure both myself as well as her. She doesn't object. "Want to tell me what's going on?"

Dropping her gaze to our hands, she puts her free one on top, absently stroking with her thumb. I try not to let the pleasing sensation of the intimate little gesture divert my attention from her words. "We had a talk the other day." Her eyes meets mine, again, and there's apprehension in them. My heart lurches a bit in its ignorance. "About us."

"Us?" She's not usually so unclear.

"You and me." With a shrug, she adds, "And me and Maia." Then with a self-effacing snort, she concludes, "And the three of us."

My thoughts in a whirl, I can feel my jaw drop but can't summon a coherent thought, let alone words to articulate it. _The three of us, _keeps echoing around my head.

Glancing back down, she turns my hand over and starts fidgeting with it. I've never seen her so unsure. "She seems to think she's the reason I..." One of her hands abandons its toy to wave between us. "The reason you and I don't..." The free hand drops again to squeeze mine. "That I'm using being a single mom as a way of avoiding a deeper relationship with you." It's said in a rush followed by a look of determination. "She said she wants me to be happy and wouldn't mind having a dad again."

There's no helping the big grin that spreads across my face. "Just a sec'." Pulling my hand free, I reach for my pocket only to remember I've taken off my jacket. "I know we haven't..." Scrambling for it, I pull out the little box that has been my companion since I nearly lost Diana. "But I'm more than confident that, well..." It's not the way I'd hoped to propose, but I just can't seem to find the words. "Here." I hold out my hand with its precious offering.

Eyes wide with surprise, she gapes at the box. Then, with a snap, her mouth shuts, and she squints suspiciously at me. "Did you and Maia set this up?"

"What?" I'd anticipated a wide variety of responses, but never that.

"It seems rather convenient that we get stuck in an elevator, and you just happen to have a ring."

"Diana," I can't stop the laugh that escapes me, "I've had the ring for months."

Her brow smoothes, her gaze softening as the implication sinks in. "Months?"

Nodding, I explain, "I've been waiting."

"Waiting?" Again, she furrows her brow in suspicion. "For what?"

"For a time when I thought you might say 'yes.'"

There has been only one other time I've seen Diana close to tears--when Maia went missing. That she'd been willing to let herself die in her fantasy world with her fake Maia, that she'd done it without any concern for how anyone else might feel about losing her along with her daughter--it had crushed me. My sisters have worked with people who've lost kids. They convinced me Diana's reaction didn't mean she didn't care about me. Even so, I'd had no idea her feelings for me could move her this deeply. With trembling hands, she reaches for my face and draws me close. Her lips are needy, and I happily lose myself in giving her all she asks for.

By the time the lights turn back on and the elevator jerks into motion, she's in my lap, having her way with my left earlobe. Her normal reserve apparently forgotten, I abandon the inner curve of her trapezius and pull away for the sake of propriety, receiving a disgruntled noise for my troubles.

"Diana, we're-"

With a ding, the elevator door opens to Maia and her friends, all with expectant looks on their faces. That gets Diana moving. She almost knees me in her haste to stand and straighten her blouse. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, one of Maia's friends beats her to the punch.

"Look!" Amy points with glee.

Everyone's gaze travels to the little box on the floor.

Maia gasps, stomps in and grabs her mother's left hand. Shoulders slumping, her disappointed gaze travels to me then back to Diana. "You said you'd say yes."

Huh? I finally notice some of the other kids, and the math becomes abruptly clear. Standing, I dust off my pants and lean against the railing. "Diana, you though we'd set you up, but...I think we've _both_ been set up." Now everyone's looking at me, a couple with shame in their eyes. "You're Tyler, aren't you?"

The boy's cheeks turn red as he nods.

"You control electricity, don't you?"

Another nod.

"And you," I point to a girl a few years older than Maia. "You control computers and things like cell phones, right?" If both of our cells had been out of power along with the elevator, we might have suspected something, but by manipulating the displays to suggest there was no signal, she'd kept us thinking it was all due to the storm.

"I didn't mean-"

Holding up a hand, I cut her off to face Maia. "Was this your idea?"

Glumly, she bobs her blond head.

I gesture for her to come to me, and she does. Kneeling in front of her, I realize she has grown too tall for me to match her height this way. Taking her shoulders, I tilt my head so I can meet her downturned eyes. "You, of all people, should know you can't force things. These things happen in their own time."

"I'm sorry, Marco." Her lower lip trembles with the approach of tears.

"It's okay. Just promise me you won't try something like this again."

"I promise."

"Good." Reaching down, I pick up my little box. "Now, tell me honestly...would you like me to be your father?"

Her whole expression changes, and she nods with vigor, eyes alight.

I wave Diana closer and open the box. "Diana, would you marry me?"

"Yes." She says it simply, happily, and her eyes sparkle with unshed tears as I slip the ring on her finger.

With a squeal, Maia gives me a big hug, nearly choking me with her narrow shoulder against my throat. Then she turns to her mother for another hug. Getting up, I'm met with a hug from both of them as Maia's friends whisper excitedly to each other behind us. When we part, we're all grinning like idiots.

"Um..." Looking over, I notice Tyler's squatting by the bags of ice. "I think the ice cream's melting," he concludes, looking apprehensively over his shoulder.

"All right," declares Diana with authority, "the least you all can do is help us get everything to our place before the birthday girl arrives."

With a chorus of "yes, ma'am"s, the elevator is cleaned out. Snatching my jacket and vest, I return the empty box to its pocket and offer my free arm to my radiant fiancee. Together, we bring up the rear of the crowd making its way back to her condo.

Leaning close, I ask quietly, "You're sure about this?"

"I'm sure I'd rather have a husband than a dog," she deadpans.

"Is _that_ what all this is about?" Pulling away, I stick my hands in my pockets with a resigned shrug. "You just want to keep fur off the furniture."

With a derisive snort, she cocks an eyebrow at me and barely manages to stifle her smile. "If I was worried about the furniture, I wouldn't consider either."

"Would you two cut it out?" We turn to face an indignant Maia. "Just kiss, already, then come in. We still have a party to prepare for."

Happily, we oblige.

* * *

FIN 


End file.
